Going Home
by AmericanBeautyAmericanPsycho
Summary: The war's over; Gaia has been defeated, and everyone's alive and well. The Argo II and it's seven passengers are on their way to Long Island, expecting a peaceful trip, but when has anything ever gone their way? Find out what happens to the Heroes of Olympus on their journey home! Written as if Blood of Olympus never happened.
1. Chapter One: Percy

**Chapter One: Percy**

Everything was over. Gaia was gone; for how many hundreds of years Percy could only guess, but she wasn't a problem to him anymore. The Romans had not invaded Camp Half-Blood; on the contrary, because of the Athena Parthenos' return they had helped defend the camp when Gaia's army had attacked. And, most importantly, to Percy at least, everyone was still here. He hadn't planned on walking out of the war alive; having already been prepared to die for his friends, and, most importantly, Annabeth, Percy thought that he would fall early. But apparently everyone else had had the same idea because all seven members of the prophecy were alive and well. They had all protected each other, and because of it, they were all sailing back to Long Island together.

The sea was rough, but the sky was bright, so everyone was on the top deck, enjoying the day. Well, almost everyone. Percy was currently hanging upside-down on the top of the quarterdeck, better known as Leo's command station, grinning down at Annabeth who stood on the deck, looking cross at him.

"Percy, give me back my drachma before I come up there and get it from you!" She threatened, the white dragon bone sword Damasen had given her pointing up at him. Leo was in his command center, looking at Percy through the window with slight amusement as he thumbed over the controls, and the others were all watching from the deck and the crow's nest.

"Oh, alright," Percy sighed dramatically, "if you insist on ruining my fun-oops!" The gold coin had slipped from his pocket and tumbled down, bounced off the side railing, and slipped into the ocean. Who knew one of the world's saviors could be so clumsy? Percy watched the ripples the impact had created fade away while ignoring Jason's call of "You're gonna get it now!" He sheepishly glanced down at Annabeth, whose face was blank.

"You might want to go get that before it sinks any further," she said nonchalantly, but her eyes held mischief and a smile was tugging at her lips. Percy reached up, grabbed the top of the quarterdeck with his hands, and sprung back, landing on the deck with ease, but nearly gave Leo a heart attack. He flashed a cheeky grin towards his girlfriend.

"Back in a flash," he said while walking over to the railing, and, with a quick motion, jumped over the side. The bubbles Percy made when he hit the war tickled his nose as he sank, keeping his eyes open for the lost gold coin. He only got wet when he wanted to, which was not now, but he could still feel the water's cool embrace as he swam, going deeper and deeper to search for the drachma.

Percy found the lack of sea creatures odd; not one shark or passing fish had spoken to him on the journey back to the states, and Percy was slightly offended. He had, in fact, just helped to save the world, and had even delivered the final blow against Gaia herself, but he guessed that the fish really didn't care. His sense's tingled as he searched farther down for Annabeth's coin, but he supposed that he was just still edgy from the past few days. Percy knew that Gaia's defeat wasn't going to stop monsters from appearing, but the Argo II had yet to be attacked. However, years of training still kept him on prepared.

A few minutes of swimming passed before Percy's spirits brightened considerably when he saw a glint of gold directly below him, and he quickly dove down to inspect it. As he got closer, Percy could clearly see the lost drachma wedged between two small stones in a field of hundreds on a large rocky ledge. He was starting to get a slight chill from being down so deep, and was glad to finally be able to back to the surface.

After reaching the coin, Percy gave a slight wave of his hand to direct the water to move the two small stones apart, but they didn't budge. Surprised, Percy reached his hands forward, which were bigger than the stones, and gave the rocks a push, but neither moved. Ignoring the rocks for the moment and instead focusing on the drachma, Percy placed his feet on the ledge, grasped the coin in both hands, and gave a hard yank. A rumble sounded as a few large rocks tumbled down, but the coin finally pulled free. Percy floated backwards, examining the drachma to make sure it didn't have any scratches.

_ Annabeth would never let me live it down if this thing was damaged,_ Percy thought with a smile. Finding none, he started to swim upwards, but another, louder noise resounding through the rocks caught his attention. Percy only had a split second to look down towards the rock field before something large and heavy bowled into him, and he knew no more.

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><p><strong>Sorry for such a short chapter, but the next will definitely be longer! I love reviews :D<strong>


	2. Chapter Two: Leo

**Yay, longer chapter! I would love any reviews or suggestions! :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Leo<strong>

Leo was bored. Like, really bored. He had been sitting up in his command center for hours, too uncomfortable to go join the couples below him on the deck. His friends had proven their loyalty over the quest, and he felt that they were all a part of his big, happy, dysfunctional demigod family, but that didn't mean he was going to barge in on their personal time, begging for attention. One by one, everyone had come up at one point or another to ask why he didn't take a break and join them, but Leo just made the excuse of having too much to do and waved everyone off. In truth, he had nothing to do. The _Argo II_ was in perfect condition; the damage it had suffered during the war already repaired; and his two projects, rebuilding Festus' body and finding Calypso, required more room. So, he was stuck. Leo took this time to study everyone below him through the window.

Jason and Piper were hidden in the crow's nest with only their smiling faces visible above the basket, doing only gods knew what. Piper was amazing in the final battle, and had even sent a titan (the name escaped Leo) to tears by herself with only powerful charmspeak. She no longer thought of herself as a burden, and was happy to finally know that she could pull her own weight. Jason, on the other hand, had reined lightning bolts and dangerous winds, and had really shown his true power as a son of Jupiter.

Leo sometimes wished that he were a son of Jupiter or Zeus; to be able to have that level of confidence and power was his dream. But then he would remember the dangers of being a son or daughter of the "Big Three", and would rethink his decision. Leo admired Percy even more than Jason, despite their rough start. Percy cared about his friends (especially Annabeth), and always put their needs before his own, no matter what happened to himself. Leo didn't always believe he would have the courage to do that.

Either way, Leo hadn't forgotten that Percy had abandoned Calypso, and was slightly proud of himself to still be set on finding her. Leo had spoken to Calypso in a dream two nights, and he had told her about his plans for rescuing her. She had been ecstatic and had run off to pack, but not before giving him an "I'll see you soon" kiss. He felt giddy inside every time he remembered her smile and her laugh, and wished to get back to Camp Half-Blood faster so he could initiate his project to reunite with her.

Smiling to himself while spinning lazily in his chair, Leo looked back down onto the deck again and noticed Frank and Hazel lying on a blanket together, cloud-watching. They had become less awkward and were much more comfortable around each other, which Leo found endearing. Leo also noticed Annabeth standing against the railing, looking down into the water with a frown on her face. Leo suddenly remembered that Percy had gone to find her drachma, and guessed that he had not yet returned.

_How long ago was that?_ Leo wondered, glancing down at his watch. Half an hour had passed between then and when Percy jumped into the water. Leo assumed that he was just enjoying himself and taking the "long way back," but decided to talk with Annabeth and see if she had seen him. He stood up, stretched out the kinks in his back from sitting so long, exited the side door that led outside, and jogged down to the deck. Jason and Piper were out of his view and wouldn't be able to see him, and Annabeth was too focused on the water to notice anything, but Frank and Hazel waved to him. He waved back, and stopped by their blanket.

"Glad to see you finally taking a break!" Hazel said with a grin.

"We were just about it start a game of Monopoly," Frank added, and Leo saw the game box lying next to him. "Care to join us? Annabeth could play too, but she'll probably beat us all." Leo weighed the cons and pros in his mind, but saw no reason not to join them.

"Sure," he said with a smile, "I'll go ask Annabeth." Frank and Hazel started to set up the game while Leo continued his walk towards where Annabeth stood next to the railing. She didn't notice him until he was mere feet from her, which bothered Leo. She was always vigilant, but he tabbed her negligence as worry for Percy. Leo leaned against the railing and faced Annabeth.

"Hey," he said, trying to figure out her mood. Her face was full of emotion, and that surprised Leo. Annabeth was almost always cool and in control, and Leo felt as if bothering her was intruding on a private moment.

"Hey," she answered with a small smile, probably disappointed that he wasn't Percy.

"He's not back yet?" Leo asked the obvious. Annabeth shook her head.

"I bet he's just enjoying the water", he rambled, trying to reassure her. "It's a gorgeous day." She nodded, looking at him silently, her blonde, curly hair blowing across her face.

"Maybe you could ask Frank to go look for him." Leo suggested nervously, uncomfortable under Annabeth's calculating stare. She was the only person on the ship that really intimidated Leo.

"I guess I could," she agreed, "but maybe I'm overreacting. It hasn't been that long, has is?"

"No, no," Leo assured, but in truth the time was creeping closer to an hour. "I'm sure he's just having fun, but while he's out, why don't you come play Monopoly with Frank, Hazel, and I?" Annabeth seemed to contemplate this, but eventually nodded.

"You realize I'll crush you all though, right?" She added with a covert smile.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Leo said with mock competitiveness. "I heard Hazel was pretty dangerous playing board-oh! Look, there he is!" Leo said, pointing down towards the water where a head with black hair bobbed up and down. Annabeth turned, a wide smile on her face, and looked down. Leo congratulated himself on cheering her up, even if it was Percy's return that had done the final trick, and was about to go back to Frank and Hazel when he heard Annabeth cry out in rage.

Surprised, Leo turned and looked at her again. Her face was full of shock as she starred down into the water. Turning to get a better look himself, Leo saw that instead of a grinning Percy, smugly holding up the lost drachma like he had expected, there was a barely-conscious Percy, and blood was running down his head. Leo also noticed that Percy was wet, which he found odd, considering that he was a son of Poseidon.

The sea rose around Percy as he weakly raised his arms to control propelling himself onto the ship, but the water to his left suddenly bubbled, and a giant, powerful spout mere feet to his left made him loose his concentration, and he crashed back down, submerging under once again. The water from the spout rained harmless onto the deck, but Leo could hear Frank and Hazel complaining from their probably very damp blanket. Festus the dragon figurehead puffed smoke nervously from the bow.

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, and Leo politely looked away from her as tears started to build in her eyes. He knew that Percy and Annabeth were close, but Tartarus, the war, and Gaia had most definitely made them inseparable, and Leo's heart went out to Annabeth.

Percy's head soon popped back up, but his eyes were unfocused, as if he was looking right through Leo and Annabeth, and the water was tinted red around him. The sea was also bubbling next to him again, as if...as if something was coming. Instead of trying to use the water to levitate towards the ship again, Percy cupped his hands around his mouth, and called up to Leo and Annabeth.

"Did you hear what he said?" Leo asked Annabeth, hoping her ears were better than his.

"No", she murmured faintly, her face full of worry. She leaned back over the railing to look at Percy, and pointed to her ear. He put his hands around his mouth once more, took a deep breath, and tried again.

"GET DOWN ON THE DECK!"

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! :)<strong>


	3. Chapter Three: Annabeth

**Hi everyone :D I'm so happy that you guys like "Going Home"! Thanks for the reviews, and please keep them coming! Chapter Four should be posted within the next couple of days, but Chapter Five is going to take a bit longer, so here's an extra-long chapter. I hope you like it! :)**

**Also, I've been thinking about starting another fanfiction...any ideas? I could do another HoO, or maybe a PJO. Or I could do a completely different book/TV series! I would love any suggestions! :)**

**Enough blabbering; here's Chapter Three!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Annabeth<strong>

No sooner than Percy's warning had reached Annabeth's ears did Leo take action. He immediately spun around, grabbed Annabeth's shocked form, and pulled her down to the deck while shouting at Frank and Hazel to do the same. They obliged and quickly flattened themselves, Frank putting his arm over Hazel's back and as they both tucked their heads down.

Out of the corner of her eye Annabeth saw Jason fly out of the crows nest with Piper, but she lost sight of them when the _Argo II_ started to tip. It was slow at first; Annabeth and Leo's side rose into the air while Frank and Hazel's sank towards the sea. Annabeth could hear something tumbling across the deck, and spotted the Monopoly pieces slipping away. The two demigods hastily grabbed the railing and held on for dear life, but the ship groaned and paused in its flipping. It was silent.

Then, with a sudden flourish, everything flew past Annabeth as she and Leo rocketed upwards. Annabeth heard Hazel scream, but couldn't see because she had already closed her eyes tightly to avoid nausea. She prayed that Frank had turned into a large bird or sea creature so the two of them didn't drown.

Water rushed into the lower side of the _Argo II,_ and soon the whole ship was being tugged down. Annabeth and Leo were hanging with their feet dangling in the air, pointed straight towards the churning sea below. Annabeth squinted her eyes open to look down and saw a pair of giant fangs clutching the railing, pulling the _Argo II_ towards the water. She then looked up towards Leo, whose face was full of horror.

"If it keeps tipping, we have to jump!" Annabeth called over the sound of rushing water.

"Won't we drown?" Leo shouted back, but he readjusted his grip nonetheless. His nose was on fire, which slightly concerned Annabeth.

"Hopefully not!" Annabeth answered grimly. The _Argo II_ gave another lurch, and the ship started racing down towards the swirling water below.

Everything was happening so fast. The warship, on a normal day, got attacked at _least_ a dozen times. That was nothing new, and between the seven of them, a metal fire-breathing dragon, and a craft rigged with catapults, Greek fire, and enough defenses to last a lifetime, they were set. Whatever monsters were trying to bombard them could be taken care of without so much as batted eyelash. But this? This…this was new.

"Let go, let go!" Annabeth screamed, but found that she couldn't. With a quick glance towards Leo she saw that his hands were still holding on tightly, fear making them too stiff to let go.

Annabeth found it slightly ironic that she, the girlfriend of the sea god's son, would die underwater. She thought of Percy; he was probably somewhere in the water below, too injured to help them. She hoped with all of her heart that he survived this.

Suddenly all of the moments they'd shared together were racing through Annabeth's mind like a slide-reel: meeting at Camp Half-Blood, going on their first quest to recover Zeus's lightning bolt, retrieving the Golden Fleece, rescuing Artemis, traveling through the Labyrinth, stopping Kronos, that underwater kiss…then Percy went missing, and Annabeth could clearly remember the pain and worry she had felt for those long, long months, but it all washed away when she and the others had found him again in the Roman camp. Then they, along with her new friends, had journeyed across the globe, even to Tartarus and back, together.

Annabeth didn't want all of their efforts to be for nothing, so, with a sudden burst of fury, she spun around and faced the water, her face hot with her anger. Her hands were still clutching the railing, but she still felt a bit better. Leo soon followed her actions so they were both facing the rapidly approaching sea, but now smoke was curling out of his ears, and his hair was ablaze; from nerves, Annabeth guessed. At the last possible moment Annabeth and Leo glanced at each other, and, with grim faces, took deep breaths.

As they plunged down into the cold, murky water, time seemed to slow down to an agonizing pace. They finally let go of the railing and struggled, but fighting against the forcible pull the sinking _Argo II_ made was useless. A large, dark, swirling shape loomed in front of them that definitely didn't look friendly, but Annabeth couldn't see much in her bleak surroundings. The water started to chill as she and Leo sank deeper. Annabeth was angry with herself for not thinking of a plan earlier and letting grief consume her. As a daughter of Athena she _always_ had a strategy, and here she was, failing at the only thing she was good at.

_Great lot of good I did, _she thought bitterly. Her lungs were tight, begging and pleading for oxygen, and her vision started to dim. She gave a few pitiful kicks before finally stilling and letting the gloomy shadows overcome her.

…...

Time sped up again as Annabeth suddenly realized that she could breathe again, and she fell into a coughing fit, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. In her struggling she also felt that she was perfectly dry, and that she could hear Leo gasping next to her. After calming down Annabeth opened her eyes to find that she and Leo were kneeling in a large air bubble, which was slowly floating towards the surface. After a few moments Leo stopped coughing and also looked up, his eyes wide with shock.

"How…?" he started.

"I don't know," Annabeth said, shaking her head in amazement. She gently touched the bubble with her hand and it simply bounced like a balloon.

"Weird," she muttered quietly. They were both quiet for a few moments; too busy peering out of the bubble and into the water, but it was like trying to look through a foggy window.

"What's that?" Leo asked after they had risen closer to the surface. Annabeth turned and saw, aided by surface light, the _Argo II_. But instead of seeing a broken, disheveled shape sinking, she saw the ship rising majestically in the water. It was surrounded by a bubble similar to theirs, but enlarged to fit around the ship, keeping it ideally dry.

Next to the ship Annabeth saw the dark shape from earlier, but it now had a form. It was a monster: a long, dark, serpent. Annabeth had, of course, seen serpents, drakons, snakes, and practically anything else that slithered before, but this thing was different. It was by far the largest monster she had ever seen, which was saying something. Thicker than a building, and Annabeth couldn't even tell how long it was, for its middle sank down so deep that she couldn't see the end. The thing was encrusted in scales that flashed in the water, and sharp spikes traveled down its spine to its tail, which was sticking up, ending in a dangerous-looking barb. Spines fanned in the water around its face, similar to a lionfish's fins; that wiggled around, as if trying to escape the serpent. The dozens of razor-edged teeth that lined its mouth were brilliantly white and taller than Annabeth was, and its head was easily half the size of the _Argo II_. The serpent's eyes glowed an evil, intelligent red as it tried to sink its fangs into the ship's magical bubble.

"Oh my gods," Annabeth whispered, terror coursing through her veins like a toxin. Gaia, the earth herself, almost came in second place as the scariest-thing-she-had-seen next to this creature. Even her memories of Tartarus were dimmed by the serpent's horribleness. She _almost _wished for spiders instead of this thing. Almost.

"Hey!" Leo cried angrily, pressing his hands against the bubble. "That's my ship!" The monster took no notice of him and continued to attack the magical bubble. It flickered weakly occasionally, but stayed intact, working hard to keep the ship protected.

Annabeth suddenly noticed something swimming towards them, and as it got closer, realized that it was a large tiger shark.

"Leo," Annabeth said nervously as she pointed towards the shark. He turned and yelped in surprise. The shark was coming at them with alarming speed.

"It can't get through this bubble, can it?" Leo asked fearfully, grabbing a screwdriver out of his magical tool belt. Annabeth didn't answer, but instead shifted away from the approaching creature. She didn't really think that a screwdriver was their best defense against a shark.

The giant shark hit their bubble and slid through without letting any water get in. Leo shrieked, but once the shark was completely inside, it quickly shifted form, and they were looking at Frank.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, looking them over. "Leo, are you alright? I heard you scream."

"Just fine," he muttered while putting his tool away, a blush slowly creeping its way onto his face.

"What's happening out there?" Annabeth asked, indicating the battle between the serpent and the _Argo II'_s bubble. Frank glanced back towards the ship.

"You can't really see much from here," he started, "but it's Percy-"

"Percy?" Annabeth interjected. "Is he okay? And where's everyone else?"

"Everyone's fine," Frank reassured, "well, mostly at least-"

"Mostly?" Annabeth asked sharply. "What-"

"Annabeth, let the man talk!" Leo interrupted. Annabeth blinked, surprised.

"Sorry Frank," she said anxiously. "I'm just really worried."

"It's okay," Frank answered sympathetically. "Hazel, Jason, and Piper are fine," he continued. "Jason's keeping them in the air above us. I came down here to look for you two, and luckily you're okay." As Frank spoke, their bubble finally reached the surface, and with a _pop_, the three demigods were sitting on an air cushion just on top of the water's surface. Annabeth was surprised to see the sun still up. They had only been underwater for a few minutes, but it had felt like an eternity.

"Hey!" a voice called from above. Annabeth looked up, shielded her eyes from the sun's bright glare, and saw Jason, Piper, and Hazel drifting towards them. They landed on the cushion, and everyone stood.

"Glad to see you guys are alright." Jason stated, his voice filled with relief. His eyes looked a bit unclear and foggy, like he was looking right through them. Annabeth glanced questionably at Piper for an answer.

"He hit his head on the mast." she deadpanned. "Hazel and I gave him some ambrosia, so he should be fine soon, _if _he stops hitting it."

"Hey!" he cried. "It's not my fault, go blame…oh." Jason trailed off and looked into the water a few hundred feet off, which had started to bubble.

Everyone turned to watch the _Argo II'_s tallest mast break through the ocean's surface, quickly followed by the rest of the ship. Annabeth could even see Festus spluttering on the bow as he creaked, but he looked okay.

The magical bubble, however, did not, because the serpent had also followed the boat into the air. The creature had its long, horrid body wrapped around the ship's bubble, squeezing it tight. Annabeth could finally see that the beast was a dark royal blue color as its scales flashed vibrantly in the afternoon sun. It's maw, which was similar to a beak, opened and spewed an inky liquid onto the bubble. The liquid started to disintegrate the ship's protection, and the bubble wasn't reforming.

"Is that poison?" Hazel asked in horror. Annabeth noticed that the liquid also dripped out of the spines on it's back.

"What's trying to protecting the ship?" Annabeth asked as they watched the serpent attack the bubble furiously, trying to quicken its destruction.

"We have to help!" Piper added anxiously as she drew Katoptris out of its sheath.

"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier," Frank said nervously as everyone's attention turned to him. "When I went underwater to find you guys I spoke to Percy...you know, as a shark." At this point Annabeth was straining in the effort of holding herself back from asking questions, but she kept quiet for Percy's sake.

"He made the bubble to save you guys," Frank continued, "and he's the one protecting the ship. But if the bubble's almost gone now, that means…" He didn't have to finish. Everyone was quiet for a few moments. Annabeth's thoughts were racing; she was so worried about Percy that her stomach hurt and she felt ill. She decided that worrying wasn't going to help him, so she quickly made the decision to come up with a plan instead, wishing that it would make up for her pathetic performance earlier.

"Jason, can you and Leo fly over to blast wormy? And Frank, can you take the three of us over to the ship to defend it?" she asked, hoping that no one would object.

"Sure, good strategy," Jason agreed as everyone else nodded, "come on Leo, let's go."

"Wait," Leo started, "how am I supposed to get over there? I can't exactly f-" but whatever he was going to say was cut off by his shout as Jason grabbed him around the shoulders and started flying towards the ship.

"Don't drop him!" Piper called. Annabeth could hear Leo cursing wildly as Jason laughed, but then their voices were lost in the wind.

"Okay," Frank said, clapping his hands together. His form slowly started to grow and lengthen until a fierce, charcoal-colored dragon stood next to Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth. Annabeth didn't think she'd ever get used to that. Dragon Frank snorted fire and tossed his head, signaling them to climb on his back.

"Nice," Piper said with a grin as they stepped forward.

"Are you sure you can take all three of us?" Hazel asked, concerned. Frank turned and gave Hazel a look, as if saying, "_puh-lease, I can do this in my sleep!"_

"Fine," she grumbled. "But if you drop us I'm going to send Arion after you."So, the three of them climbed up; Hazel in the front, hanging onto Dragon Frank's neck, Piper in the middle, and Annabeth on the back; and Frank lifted off, flapping his large wings to gain altitude, and started soaring towards the _Argo II._

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><p><strong>Sorry for the cliffy D: Please review!<strong>


	4. Chapter Four: Frank

Hi everyone :D First of all, thank you thank you thank you to the two hundred and forty-four visitors that have read chapters one through three of "Going Home"! The support is amazing! I hope you guys like this next chapter just as much!

Just wanted to recommend urqueenizhere's story "The Transfers"! If you love Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, then it's definitely worth reading!

**PLEASE READ AT THE BOTTOM FOR IMPORTANT INFO ON CHAPTER FIVE! :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Frank<strong>

Frank didn't exactly enjoy being a dragon taxi. He, of course, realized that making sure a giant serpent didn't eat his friends and destroy the _Argo II_ was a bit more important than his feelings, but still. As he, Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth landed on the ship, Frank almost wanted to ask for a couple of drachmas as a tip.

"Nice set of scales, man!" Jason shouted from above as Frank slowly phased back into human form. He could vaguely feel his bow on his back as he took a moment to catch his breath. Dragon-form was really tiring.

"Frank, duck!" Piper shouted from his right. He was still a little woozy, but was luckily good at following orders, so he hit the deck just as a five-ton serpent head flew over him and smashed into the main mast.

"Thanks!" he called back while getting to his feet. Now filled with adrenaline, Frank quickly took in his surroundings. The serpent's body was wrapped once, twice, three times around the ship, with half lying on the deck, and half below the water's surface. The magical bubble was completely gone, and the serpent was slowly crushing the _Argo II_.

However, the head and tail were what kept the demigods on their toes. They both lashed out separately; the head with fangs, and the tail with a sharp barb that was oozing what they had determined to be a poison. Annabeth and Piper were dueling with the serpent's tail, which was having a fun time punching holes through the deck. Leo, who was now standing in the crow's nest, and Jason, who was flying around, were distracting the head so Hazel could attack its body. Even Festus was helping by torching the serpent and snapping at him with his razor-sharp metal teeth.

"Die, gummy-worm!" Leo shouted as he chucked flaming balls of white fire at the serpent with one hand and frantically worked the _Argo II's_ portable controls with the other.

"Frank, can you talk to this thing?" Annabeth called as the tail sailed over her head and into the lowest mast with aloud_ CRACK. "_Maybe persuade it to leave us alone?" Frank paused.

"_What?" _he thought, confused. Annabeth seemed to hear his silent question.

"As a snake," she continued, "or a serpent of sorts?" Oh. That made more sense.

"_No need, son of Mars." _a low, slow voiced hissed into the air. Everyone stopped moving, and it was eerily quiet. The only sounds Frank could hear were the waves crashing on the ship's hull, and its wood creaking under the serpent's pressure.

"_I believe I am quite capable of speaking for myself", _the voice continued. Frank turned and saw that the beast was slowly eying each of the demigods in turn, and when its gaze flickered over him he shivered. The serpent made a deep humming noise that Frank thought might be laughter.

"_Demigods," _the beast murmured while slithering its head along the deck. Its tongue flickered in and out of its mouth as it spoke.

"_You all posses courage of likes I have not seen in decades_, _but your efforts are futile_." Frank puffed up in indignation.

"Who are you?" he shouted more confidently than he actually felt. "What's your name?" Hazel was staring at him like he had lost his mind, which, Frank thought, was possible.

The serpent turned its massive head towards Frank and studied him with one, large, platter-sized eye. Frank stood motionless, but he could see Hazel and Jason creeping up behind the beast out of the corner of his eye.

"_A name," _the serpent hissed, _"is not something I have, nor need."_

"No name?" Leo taunted from above in the crow's nest, as he leaned causally against the basket's edge. The serpent whipped its head up, ignoring Frank for the moment to look at Leo.

"Not important enough, eh?" he continued breezily. "We'll give you a name! How about, hmm…what do you think, Pipes?"

"Rank?" she suggested, holding her nose and waving the air in front of her face. "Seriously, when was the last time you took a bath?" Frank saw that they were trying to direct the serpent's attention away from Hazel and Jason, who now together held a large, Imperial-gold net between them. The serpent was too infuriated to notice. It was spitting wildly and swishing its tail erratically, and Leo winced when two of the _Argo II's_ oars were snapped off by it.

"_I am_ _stronger than any of your gods could ever hope to be!" _the beast roared furiously_. "Zeus **cowers** in my presence! Gaea did not __**dare**__ risk waking me in her attempt at resurrection. And you children dare offend me?" _The beast's tail slammed onto the deck, and cracks appeared where it landed. Its eyes were livid.

"_I have stayed quiet for centuries," _it continued in a soft hiss_, "as I let my weak cousin Apophis have his pitiful attempt in swallowing the sun-"_

"Ew." Piper muttered. Frank had to agree with her. He glanced over at Hazel and Jason, who were getting closer and closer to the serpent's head.

"Wait," Annabeth cut in. "You're related to Apophis, as in the evil Egyptian snake god?" The serpent continued as if it hadn't heard her, but it now had a maniacal look in its eyes.

"_And now that he is banished yet again, you ignorant demigods wish to conquer me? You believe the mere blessing of Poseidon's son could protect you? This was my domain long before his father even **existed**!" _

For a full beat, no one moved. In the silence, the scrape of the magical net against the deck could clearly be heard. The serpent whirled around towards where Jason and Hazel were crouched so quickly that Frank didn't even have the time to blink before they were sent flying overboard by the beast's tail, net and all.

"No!" Frank roared as he tried to rush towards the railing, but the serpent turned to look at him. Frank was seeing red, and was about to morph into a giant bear to claw the things face off, but Annabeth stopped him. He hadn't even noticed her, along with Piper, come over to him, but her hand now held him back from charging at the serpent.

"_Wait."_ her eyes pleaded. Frank could only guess how she kept her cool during this.

"Hey, Smelly!" Piper yelled to the serpent, her voice laced with charmspeak so powerful that Frank had to resist checking to see if he stank. He saw Leo sniffing his armpit above them.

"Turn this way!" she commanded. The serpent spun its head lazily towards her, its eyes filled with amusement.

"_Piper McLean," _it hissed,_ "your mother's magic won't work on me. I'm much-"_

"But it worked anyway, didn't it?" Annabeth deadpanned. The serpent's eyes narrowed as confusion fogged its brain.

"You're facing us now anyway," she continued, "so I guess you're not as strong as you thought, listening to weak demigods like us.

"_But-"_

"One of the oldest tricks in the book, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Leo added, shaking his head in mock pity.

"_I-"_

"You're not even that scary," Piper continued, "a little unnerving maybe, but that's just because of the smell.

"_You-"_

"I've seen garden snakes creepier than you," Frank persisted, feeling better about the situation by the second. The four demigods continued to verbally attack the serpent, and it slowly backed its head towards the railing in shame, until-

"_ENOUGH!"_ The sudden outburst surprised the demigods, and they fell silent. The serpent glared at each of them individually, until finally resting its eyes on Annabeth.

"_Clever, daughter of Athena." _the humming started up again. _"But stalling will do you no good. You lack a plan, and you know there's nothing you can do to stop me. I'll let you have the decision-would you and your friends prefer to sink along with your puny ship," _the serpent flickered its tongue greedily,_ "or will you help me appease my eternal hunger?" _Annabeth didn't respond, and no one moved.

"_Are the choices not satisfying enough, my dear?" _Frank could practically see laser beams shooting out of Annabeth's angry eyes at this point.

"_No matter," _the serpent continued, tightening its body around the _Argo II_, _"I'll just have to-MRGHF_!" A mouth full of water blasted from over the railing stopped the beast from continuing. Frank turned towards the water canon's source, but saw nothing.

"_What-" _the beast started, but was again effectively cut off by more water, this time from the other side of the ship. Frank couldn't help but smirk at the serpent's annoyance.

"_How DARE-"_ more water, this time from the stern.

"Still thirsty?" a familiar voice called from the bow. Frank turned to see Percy, looking a bit pale but quite alive, leaning against his sword with a cheeky grin on his face next to Festus, who was making happy whirring noises as Percy rubbed his nose. Frank was also relieved to see Hazel and Jason standing next to him, completely unharmed and dry. They were even still holding the net. Frank caught Hazel's eye and worriedly mouthed, _"Are you okay?"_ to her. She smiled and nodded back, _"I'm fine." _Frank saw Piper grin at Jason, and Annabeth looked positively giddy with relief at Percy's return. Leo fist-bumped the air and yelled, "Go team!" Everyone smiled at that, but the serpent's eyes narrowed.

"_I'm impressed, son of Poseidon," _it hissed_. "I expected Oceanus's minion to find you faster."_

"Oh, he found me all right," Percy admitted, twisting to show that the majority of the sides of his shirt were covered in nasty-looking claw marks. Frank didn't want to see the damage under them.

"Oceanus must be disappointed in you," Percy continued. "I think he was expecting me wrapped up in a pretty bow, delivered to his doorstep." Frank had the sudden mental image of Percy in a large, colorful holiday box with a ribbon tied to his head. The serpent grew still, and everyone tensed.

"_Well," _the beast drawled, _"I guess I'll just have to try again." _The serpent lunged.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE READ:<strong>

**I have not started Chapter Five yet because I'm not really sure where to go with this story, so I want you guys to choose! :D I will write the next chapter when at least TEN reviews with votes on the below ****scenarios**** are chosen, or your own ideas, are submitted! Whichever plot line has the most votes will determine what direction "Going Home" goes in! Only one vote per person to make it fair, so choose wisely! :D Not hard, right?**

**The results can be found on my profile :)**

**a) they all go home and live happily ever after**

**b) they get lost**

**c) character(s) go missing/are kidnapped**

**d) _Argo II_ is too damaged to continue, so they have to make a pit stop somewhere**

**e) challenge(s) in specific relationship(s)**

**f) another prophecy**

**g) character death (oh nuuu D:)**

**h) sickness/injury in character(s)**

**Any other ideas that you guys come up with are welcome! :D**


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